The Russian prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev,
has said Bashar al-Assad's
chances of retaining power in Syria
are getting "smaller and smaller" every day,
according to the transcript of an interview with CNN
released by Medvedev's office.

JERUSALEM
(Reuters) - Any sign that Syria's
grip on its chemical weapons
is slipping as it battles an armed uprising could
trigger Israeli military
strikes, Israel's vice
premier said on Sunday.Silvan Shalom confirmed a media
report that Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu had last week convened a meeting of
security chiefs to discuss the civil war in Syria and
the state of its suspected chemical arsenal.

DAMASCUS, Syria — The
United Nations humanitarian chief was in Damascus on
Sunday for talks with Syrian officials about the
nation’s conflict, which has forced millions of people
from their homes, destroyed the country’s cities and
created food and fuel shortages.

Refugee Crisis Grows as Violence Flares Across Syria

أزمة اللاجئين تنمو مع مشاعل
العنف في جميع انحاء سورية

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Violence flared across Syria on Sunday, as government warplanes and artillery
intensified attacks on rebels in the suburbs east and
south of Damascus, fighting closed the highway to the
Dara’a in the south, and clashes continued in Homs
Province, in central Syria, and in the city of Deir
al-Zour in the east, according to state news media and
antigovernment activists.